PESHAWAR: Afghan Trade Commissioner Dr Mirwais Yousafzai has said that Pak-Afghan trade will help boost social, political and cultural relations between the two countries.

He was speaking as a chief guest at Jashne Nauroz gathering at a local hotel here on Wednesday. He said that the business community in both Pakistan and Afghanistan shared trade-related issues which, he added, would be removed with the passage of time. The event was organised by Afghan Students Union (ASU). “Despite worst times we have maintained our golden traditions. Celebrating spring has been centuries old Pakhtun tradition. Such events can help strengthen social, political and cultural relations between people of the two countries. Afghan students should focus on their studies to make it happen in its true letter and spirit,” the Afghan official said.

Huma Zafar Ahmadzai, an Afghan girl student, told Dawn: “It is the right time to celebrate peace and mutual love. People of both countries are tired of militancy. We want peace, pens and books. The message of Jashne Nauroz is nothing but peace and love.” She hosted the event.

Zakir Ahmadzai, another Afghan student, told this scribe that the number of participants increased this year to 1,500 from just 500 last year.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Awami National Party general secretary, said that Pakhtuns in both the countries had been waiting for long to celebrate the true spring of peace and brotherhood. He said that Jashne Nauroz (spring festival) was a shared legacy of Pakhtuns across the Pak-Afghan border. “We should put our hands together to celebrate the spring of peace, love and harmony and that could be only possible when we counter terrorism in all its forms,” Mr Hussain observed.

Jashne Nauroz celebrated

Sadiq Zarrak Kakar pointed out that some people raised objections to celebration of Jashne Nauroz by billing it being un-Islamic. He said Jashne Nauroz was 3,500 years old festival of Pakhtuns. He said that after destructive winter Pakhtuns would celebrate the arrival of spring season for three days.

Nisar Mohammad Khan, chairman of Pak-Afghan Tarun – a cultural organisation - said that celebrating arrival of spring was a cultural event that brought people together to enjoy sights and sounds of nature. It was, he said, in fact a celebration of different flowers, fruits and plants growing in their region.

Abaseen Yousafzai said on the occasion that marigold was the symbol of beauty and life in Pakhtun region. He said that spring festival was an annual feature that would instill a new spirit among people for hard work and developing affinity with the nature.

Earlier, Mohammad Ibrahim, chief of Afghan Students Union, said that celebrating spring festival in Peshawar had become inevitable. He said that Jashne Nauroz provided a platform to young Afghan students to get together to share feelings for bringing permanent peace to their war-hit region.

Later, Afghan traditional dance ‘Attnr’ was performed by Afghan students. Senior folk singer Gulzar Alam, Waheed Achakzai and Rashid Khan sang popular Pashto numbers. Young Afghan folk singer Naveed Mahabat stole the show and received standing ovation for singing a Pashto spring song. A spring poetry session was also part of the event.

Published in Dawn March 19th , 2015

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